Week of Aug. 14, 2025

From the editor’s desk

The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission’s second report was slated to be released this week. It was delayed—and different sources gave different reasons for that delay.

On Monday, CNN and several other news outlets reported that a White House statement attributed the delay to the need to “coordinate the schedules of the President and the various cabinet members who are a part of the Commission.”

On Wednesday Politico’s “Playbook” podcast page said something else entirely:

Privately, there are additional reasons for the hold up.

The delay is because the White House is taking time to review it “to make sure it’s not f–ked up like last time,” a second person familiar with the MAHA report tells (podcast host) Dasha, referencing an error-riddled report from the MAHA Commission earlier this year.

“The goal is just to get the damn thing right,” said a third person familiar with the report.

You might recall that the first MAHA report, issued late in May, referenced scientific studies that do not exist, raising questions about whether AI may have helped author the document. (According to Reuters, the White House called these citations of non-existent studies “formatting issues.”)

As The Guardian reported yesterday, a new, grassroots group of around 3,000 health professionals and allies, called Defend Public Health, is not buying the “formatting issues” explanation:

“The Maha report is essentially a distraction from the real causes of poor health,” said Elizabeth Jacobs, professor emerita at the University of Arizona and a founding member of Defend Public Health.

As we await the actual MAHA report, Defend Public Health has issued its own report, “Improving the Health of Americans Together,” which contains a fine-print assurance on its cover, “Created by real human experts relying on real rigorous data.”

The report makes 11 policy recommendations. Among them: “Ensure Food Safety, Security and Access,” “Ensure equitable access to vaccines” and “Expand Access to Healthcare.” It cites several examples of recently enacted federal policies that pose immediate threats to public health, including cuts to the Food and Drug Administration, and food assistance decreases.

The Defend Public Health report’s 11th recommendation: “Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services, Should be Removed From Office.”

Take care,

—Kris Vagner, managing editor